Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine eligibility in SA extended to 16 to 39 age group as of Monday August 16

All people aged 16 to 39 in SA will be eligible to book a Pfizer vaccine as of Monday. The appointments can be made for September and October, as more supplies arrive.

South Australia will become the first state to make all people aged between 16 and 39 eligible for Pfizer vaccines by opening bookings for Covid-19 jabs from Monday.

Days after under-40s flooded a Highgate Park clinic briefly accepting Pfizer bookings, SA Health will for the first time allow people living in metropolitan Adelaide aged 16 to 39 to make appointments at state-run vaccination clinics.

Premier Steven Marshall said 127,000 extra booking slots would open from Monday to give younger South Australians the opportunity to get vaccinated.

These will be for appointments in September and October, when Pfizer supplies surge.

REPLAY THE PRESS CONFERENCE

On Thursday, Mr Marshall urged South Australians aged 40-59 to book in to receive their jab, before the eligibility was broadened to the 16-39 year cohort from Monday.

“There will be a big increase in the available bookings and it will really be a first-in, best-dressed arrangement,” he said.

“We’ve got a tricky situation right around the country at the moment, this is our passport out.” (vaccination)”.

Mr Marshall said the move to open bookings for 16-39-year-olds began after the state government received more clarity on the number of vaccines that would be available to SA later this year.

“This nation-leading move is a huge milestone in our vaccine rollout with South Australia leading the way as the first state in the nation to open up to everyone aged 16 and older,” Mr Marshall said.

“While our Covid recovery plan remains focused on supporting business, protecting jobs, and shielding South Australians from the health threat posed by the pandemic, vaccination is our pathway out of the pandemic and we are determined to ensure everyone has access to the vaccine as soon as possible to keep our state safe and economy strong. Thanks to the increase in supply and massive interest from our community, we can expect to see a significant increase in the number of vaccinations delivered over the coming weeks and months.”

Highgate clinic bookings honoured

Earlier this week, the Highgate Park Covid-19 vaccination clinic at Fullarton opened up its booking system to allow anyone over 18 to get a jab.

The move prompted a flurry of bookings before it was shut down by authorities later in the day.

Mr Marshall apologised for the mistake, which he blamed on “human error”, and said only bookings made for this week would be allowed to proceed.

But, on Thursday morning, he said all bookings made for the Highgate clinic would be honoured.

“Those people who had booked in for next week and beyond were originally advised that that wouldn’t be possible,” he said.

“But, because we are making this change now, they should receive a text message today saying that we’ll honour those original appointments that occurred for that Highgate site.”

SA to hit one-million dose mark

Critics likely will highlight the ongoing Pfizer supply issues frustrating those seeking appointments, particularly in short-term.

The move, to be announced by Mr Marshall on Thursday, will come on the same day the state is expected to hit the one million dose mark for vaccine delivery to more than 640,000 people.

Chief public health officer Nicola Spurrier said this had ensured some of the state’s most vulnerable people were protected.

Professor Spurrier said 78 per cent of South Australians aged over 70 have received at least one dose of the vaccine.

Labor deputy leader Susan Close argued SA had fallen behind the national average Covid-19 vaccination rate across all age groups for both first and second doses.

AstraZeneca from Monday also will be available to anyone aged 16 and over in metropolitan state-run clinics.

A video is being produced to help people make an informed choice about AZ, which causes blood clots in extremely rare cases, and a consent form will be required.

SA Health has approved that patients in state-run clinics can book their second AZ dose as soon as eight weeks after their first. Regional South Australians aged 16 and over have been eligible for Pfizer since May.

Georgie Todd, 36, tradie Rhys Kalic, 27, and Pulteney Grammar year 12 student Matthew Button, 18, will all will be eligible for the Pfizer vaccine as of Monday. Picture: Naomi Jellicoe

The Northern Territory offers Pfizer to people aged between 16 and 59, while Queensland has opened up registrations for the same age group who can get vaccinated when appointments are available. Western Australia on August 16 will start a fortnight-long Pfizer blitz for people aged between 30 and 39, while the ACT and Tasmania are vaccinating people aged between 30 years and 59 years with Pfizer.

Research from the Doherty Institute detailed on August 3 to set national vaccination targets of 70 and 80 per cent also proposed revamping the rollout to get 20 to 39-year-olds inoculated swiftly as they were most likely to spread the virus.

Under the national rollout schedule, SA in August is allocated between 63,500 to 72,600 Pfizer doses weekly, on average. But this rises to a weekly 82,100 to 91,200 doses in September and a weekly 127,270 to 141,500 doses from October to December.

The newly approved Moderna vaccine is scheduled for 5900 to 7100 weekly doses to be supplied to SA in September and between 36,300 and 43,500 from October.